Together
by phantazesthai
Summary: "I just want you to know that...I will gain your trust back, even if it takes the rest of my life. I need you to know I am in this and that I won't run." A post-Always, morning after fiction. One shot.


**Hi hi :) So this is my first fanfic + I hope you enjoy it. There is possibly suggestive content of certain _adult _situations theme towards the end but nothing too explicit. Actually it barely exists so props if you can even see it. JSYK I don't use American English so don't attack me if you see an 's' instead of a 'z' or 'u's or 're' instead of 'er'. Thanks and enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the writing, the characters belong to Andrew Marlowe :)**

* * *

Sunlight peeked through the curtains of the room, silent save for its only occupant who was slowly being roused from sleep by the sun's intrusion. The man, naked except for the thin white sheet pooled around his waist, rubbed the sleep away from his eyes, shaking his head slightly to truly awaken himself in reality and away from the peaceful dream world.

"Kate?" His raspy voice broke the silence of the room, an arm stretching out to the left side of the bed, searching for the woman who had stolen his heart four years ago and had only last night given him hers. Brows came together in confusion when the wandering hand's search came up empty in its quest to find another source of life in the room.

"Kate?" This time his voice was stronger and fully alert, sitting up in his bed his eyes scanned the now sun-lit room. Glancing quickly to his left, eyes took in the slightly crumpled sheets that indicated that last night's activities did in fact take place in reality and were not a figment of his imagination. Eyes scanned the immediate area of the room; the floor which had last night been home to various clothes was now empty. Looking the nightstand to his right, where last night two cell phones were placed side by side, now, only his was in eyesight.

"Dammit. Please Kate, please be here. Please. Don't be gone. Please." The writer, Richard Castle, knew his pleads were in vain and a storm of fear built up inside of him. Repeating the same line over and over again, as if he were in a trance, Castle got himself out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Once dressed, the writer hurried out of his bedroom and began the search for his missing bed partner. _She's got to be here. She wouldn't leave, not after last night. She wouldn't. _Despite not knowing where _she _was, Castle knew, or at least hoped, that she wouldn't have left him. Thinking back to the previous nights activities, the corners of his mouth reached upwards to form a small smile. The smile however, did not reduce the growing feeling that something was wrong. After completing a search of the upper rooms and coming up empty, Castle all but jogged down the stairs and came to a complete halt at the entrance of his kitchen. Standing back in the dark shadows of the room that the rising sun had failed to illuminate with its rays, Richard Castle stood captivated by the woman, a Katherine Beckett, before him. She stood alone in the kitchen and seemed to be unaware of her audience; dressed in his dark blue dress shirt, with her hair pulled into a messy bun, she muttered curse words at an obscured object in front of her.

"Uh...how...this can't be that hard Kate, you're a...you were an NYPD Detective...you can do thi-" Midway through her little pep talk, Castle exhaled a deep breath that he had been holding since he had woken up alone and confused in bed. Upon hearing the exhalation that was not her own, Kate Beckett whipped around to try and find the source. Kate's gaze locked with the blue eyes of her writer's as he stepped out of the shadowy doorway and walked towards her.

"Hey Castle." Kate sheepishly sent him a small smile before she ducked her head and began to fiddle with the small and delicate object in her hands.

"Hey... Hey." Castle muttered repeatedly, stepping forward once again to circle Kate's small waist, her or rather his shirt, rising up a little to show more skin. Rubbing a finger in a circular motion over the small of her back, Castle drank in the beautiful woman currently in his arms.

"I woke up...and your clothes were gone. _You _were gone." Castle hated how needy his voice sounded. But what he hated most was the underlying tone and accusation of his words. Did he really think she would have left? Kate finally looked up to meet Castle's gaze, his eyes soft and sad as he gazed down at her. Immediately feeling guilty for planting worry in his mind, she opened her mouth.

"Castle, I-"

"I thought that maybe... I just thought maybe for one-"

This was not how their first morning together should have been, they should have woken up together and playfully given each other morning kisses. A perfectly ordinary morning for a couple in love. But they were anything but ordinary. Sighing, Castle berated himself for jumping to assumptions and Kate, seeing this conflict, opened her mouth once more.

"Castle...Rick...I'm sorry. I just woke up and you were so peaceful, I didn't want to wake you. Our clothes were rather..._wet..._so I put them in the dryer and I guess I just lost track of time and-"

"Kate, it's okay. You're here and that's all that matters."

"Rick..."

"Kate. It's fine." Castle gently and lovingly rubbed her back as his perfect face looked down to her.

"It's not okay Rick. I... you thought I had left? And after these past few months, I can't blame you for thinking that. I have lied to you and I accept that last night can't erase the pain I've caused you. Nothing can compensate for the pain you've felt these past months and days especially and this whole relationship thing, it's new to me. I'm not used to...I'm not used to _knowing_ that this will be a relationship that will last. Castle, I'm sorry for making you feel like I had left this morning, I'm sorry that I've lost your trust an-"

"Woah, woah Kate slow down," Castle interrupted, kind eyes jumping to life. "This may not be how I expected our first morning together to be but we don't have to do this right now. We don't need to have this talk." Cocking her head to the side, Kate analysed his words, his posture, his eyes, analysing anything that would tell her that he was lying. Seeing none of this in him, Kate allowed herself to let out her own deep sigh.

"I just want you to know that...I will gain your trust back, even if it takes the rest of my life. I need you to know I am in this and that I won't run."

"Kate," Castle chuckled softly, _she really doesn't get it does she? _"Kate I trust you, I really do. I just hope one day you will be able to trust yourself like I trust you. I won't let you run away anymore, especially not from us." Pulling her body as close to his as physically possible, without breaking the small object she still held in her hands, Kate rested her head in the space between his neck and shoulder and breathed him in. Smiling softly as his mouth moved against her hair.

"And Kate, I'm willing to spend the rest of my life helping you trust in us."

"The rest of your life, huh?" The playful spark returned to Kate's eyes as she pulled slightly away from him, moving her head so she could once again look at him.

"Yes Kate, the rest of my life."

"Okay. Deal. But only with one condition."

"And what condition would this by m'lady?" Castle beamed as Kate shuffled slightly in his arms before harshly thrusting the small object into his chest.

"Tell me how to work this ridiculous contraption." She demanded as she motioned behind her to his very expensive coffee machine. Castle threw his head back and laughed wildly as he accepted the coffee mug she had moments ago thrust at his chest.

"Caaaastle. This is not funny!" Kate exclaimed with a poke as he laughed harder.

"Just tell me this, how did you survive without me and my exceptional coffee making ability?"

Letting out a dramatic sigh, Kate rolled her eyes but didn't dare let herself make any retort back. They held each other's gaze for a few moments before Castle gently turned Kate around in his arms and pushed her towards the counter behind them and the coffee machine. Standing at her back, with both arms wrapped either side around her to reach the machine, Castle placed the coffee mug Kate had thrust into his chest.

"Tell you what..." His voice whispered in her ear. "We make this coffee..." His hands directed her hands over the machine; smiling down at their dancing hands making the sweet music of coffee, Kate smiled as she accepted his love and adoration.

"Together." Castle murmured the rest of his sentence into her hair as the machine sprang to life.

"And then..." He continued, pressing a kiss into her hairline and breathing in her scent.

"And then?" Kate urges after Castle is silent for a few minutes.

"And then you show me that thing you do with ice cubes." Castle whispered. Kate threw her head back, hitting his left shoulder and the musical sounds of her laughter filled the quiet apartment. Twisting in his arms, Kate captured Castle's lips with her own, only halting the kiss to murmur against his lips.

"Only if you're ready Castle..." Two sets of eyes darkening at her words, Castle all but growled back.

"I am always ready." Kate's eyes widened as she _felt _just how ready he was. Opening her mouth once more, intending to snap back a witty retort or some sort of acknowledgement.

"I..."

"Kate..." Castle's face still hovering over hers, his lips barely a centimetre away from hers.

"Yeah?" Kate breathed, pushing her face impossibly closer to his, her nose brushing up against his cheek; her arms coming to rest on his forearms that held her waist.

"You burnt the coffee."


End file.
